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Château de Louvois
The Château de Louvois is the primary residence of House Le Tellier. Originally built for the Archbishop of Reims, Auguste-Michel Le Tellier, it was granted to the first Marquis de Louvois upon his death. It also once went by the name of Saint-Michel. History The building began its early life as a pet project for the Archbishop of Reims, August-Michel Le Tellier. He inquired on an architect from the area, Jules-Hardouin Citrouille, for a design that would rival some of the other local chateaux. Construction began in 1531, and the Archbishop's cousin, the recently granted Marquis de Louvois, Charles-Pascal Le Tellier. The two quickly went into a friendly competition as to whom would live in a grander residence. The building was even dubbed by the Archbishop to be called "Saint-Michel," in reference to a roodscreen built at the Marquis' residence, which contains a doubled statue of Saint Michael the Archangel. Upon the completion of the main building and original outbuildings in 1549, the two celebrated with glee, though Charles made very clear of his mild jealousy, jokingly declaring him the winner of their little quarrel. Seeing his cousin's jealousy, the Archbishop declared to leave the building in his will so long as he swears to build a small pavilion to the north, that would belong to anyone that does not belong to the House Le Tellier. With the death of the Archbishop in 1559, the Château was granted to Charles-Pascal. While the first Marquis failed, he saved quite a sum to begin construction of this pavilion, should his son wish to attempt the deed. By the time Charles-Pascal died in 1573, he'd already even designed pavilions and such, completely intending on following through with his promise; however, his death did complicate things. He stipulated in his will that it is up to his son to complete his plans. The son in question, Jean-Paul Le Tellier, finally began construction of the new buildings in 1588. To keep the styles cohesive, he employed similar materials, but hired the previous architect's grandson, Henri Citrouille to work with a new design of facade. The pavilion in question was completed within the year, and has been in-keeping with the promises made, however the Marquis also began construction of a new wing in the main building as construction ended at the pavilion. This wing was completed in 1591, though Jean-Paul did not live to see it. His son, Henri Michel, cancelled the construction of the chapel that was planned, deciding to shore up the wall and re-digging the decorative moat. The next alterations occured in 1611, when Henri Michel redesigned the interior decoration to fit a newer style. The old wood panellings were carted off and sold. Since this event, the building as remained largely the same, with the exception of a gift from the Cardinal de Mortemart: a gilt tree sculpture being placed in the Wing. Other Names The official name of the property is the Château de Louvois, in reference to the nearby town and the title in which it is associated. That being said, it is known by 2 other names recorded. The most noted alternative name is the Château de Saint-Michel, which was the historical name of the building when it was owned by the Archbishop of Reims. It was proposed that a statue would be put in the gardens of Saint Michel, but none such statue was ever placed in.__FORCETOC__ Category:House Le Tellier Category:List of Châteaux